Destination: San Carlos

Nestled under the San Francisco Class B airspace, 20 miles south of the downtown area, San Carlos airport of Santa Clara county (SQL) is the closest General Aviation airport to both the city of San Francisco and San Francisco International.

Among the services available on the field are the Sky Kitchen restaurant, which provides basic diner fare in a relaxed atmosphere, a Burger King restaurant (yes, right on the field) and the well-stocked San Carlos Aviation Supply—a pilot shop with a complete line of aviation charts (both VFR and IFR), books, and other items.

But by far the most interesting on-field attraction is the Hiller Aviation Museum, which is on the west side of the runway, just a bit south of the Burger King. Helicopter and “flying platform” inventor Stanley Hiller founded the museum in 1998, and it houses several of his unique designs.